paradise

i've spent the weekend with my mom and my evil sister in paradise...a post bday treat for them and for myself :)

enjoy your weekend friends...have a wonderful Sunday morning...here's a breathtaking view to inspire you :)

SSB - the Sunday shower routine

...i remember about one episode of Sex and the City where Carrie was talking about SSB (Single Secret Behavior) which she defined as an action or habit that one indulges in only when alone...this is the reason why i always love Sundays' - it paves the way to do my own SSB...i know most SSBs' put out there in the show were downright embarrassing but mine is i think worth something sharing LOL!

...every Sunday afternoon, usually right after the clock hits 4, i lock myself up in the shower and spend an hour and a half date with these babies...my SSB shower essentials :)



...i always start off with Kiehl's Ultimate Man Body Scrub soap (not shown in the picture above for obvious reasons)...this soap scrub is made out of bran and oatmeal which perfectly works on those rough areas (the elbows and heels) and it smells very invigorating...i call it the "Fatigue Scrubber"



...Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo comes next..this baby creates a smooth lather on your hair and made out of coconut oil and amino acids (i usually don't like the smell of coconut oil but i made an exemption on this one)



...every man needs a good shaving cream and Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream is the best i've tried so far..i said goodbye to the other shaving cream few months ago..this makes the whole shaving process less of a work and less manly LOL! and leaves your skin moisturized :)



...Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash is something that i have been using for a long time and i like the cool feeling it has on my face (it has to do something with the caffeine and menthol in the mixture)...true to its name, this one leaves you feeling refueled, reenergized and refreshed :)



...the 2nd half of this lengthy shower routine goes back to doing another scrub...i bought 3 bottles of salt scrubs when i was in San Francisco and it became the perfect addition to my shower routine..this salt scrub is infused with bamboo, rainforest and citrus/basil oils which made the 3-layer salt scrub combo DIVINE!!! :)



...Philosophy's Cinnamon buns is the perfect finisher for this routine...after putting in a lot of refreshing wonders, i like to finish it off with something sweet, silky and ridiculously smooth...this shower gel/bubble bath/shampoo combo smells like freshly baked cinnamon buns..it's sooo good that i literally want to eat myself when lathering it on my skin :)



...after all that, the cherry on this routine is Kiehl's Facial Fuel SPF 15 which i have been using for the past 3 years (it's something i give credit to for my clear, flawless skin LOL!!!)...it has the same refreshing effect with the special wash but only better because of its SPF :)



...this is a not a blog about Kiehl's by the way (but i wouldn't mind getting something from them for whoring them out LOL!)...i know this shower routine is nothing out of the ordinary and may not come close to what girls do on a daily basis but it's something i have been doing to recharge myself and get me pumped-up for work the day after :)

..what's your SSB friends?

red velvet love

...i attended a friend's birthday party last night and had some red velvet cupcakes for dessert (which i think is the perfect way to cap a meal after having so much of that roast beef LOL!)...i have been a fan of red velvet cupcakes for the longest time and whenever i get the chance to visit Sonja in Serendra, red velvet is definitely on top of the order list

...and since we're on the topic of red velvet cupcakes, the best that i had so far was the one from the famous Magnolia bakery in NYC



..the place was packed as usual but i didn't really mind the long line coz i know it will be worth it plus the cupcakes displayed in the rack looked so sinfully good that you just want to eat them all and just forget the fact that they can do so much damage to your hips LOL!



...Magnolia's red velvet cheesecake has a chocolate cookie crust for its base followed by a red velvet cheesecake layer and topped with whipped vanilla icing..just describing it makes me want to grab one right now!!!



...comparison is easily done once you had a taste of perfection...in this case, i will be waiting for another trip to Magnolia to get a little piece of that cupcake heaven :)

on halloween and costumes

...each time halloween comes close, my mind is flooded with a lot of costume ideas but i never get to materialize them...i'm not the shy type, i can tell you that but there's always something in me that holds me back everytime i want to pull off something major for halloween...i think i will stick to what i do best - giving treats to kids who couldn't even pull off a trick :)



...with that in mind, i have updated my bucket list to make sure that before i hit 30 (2 more years from now) i will fulfill my dream of dressing up as Rogue of X-Men LOL!!! now all i need is a fab wig and a good pair of white gloves

..enjoy your halloween parties friends! :)

thankful

...i'll be having my birthday 2 weeks from now and i'm starting to hate the fact that i'm nearing my 30's (i'll be turning 28 by the way)...i have a lot to be thankful for this year and i was able to accomplish a lot of things in my bucket list and i just have to post them here to make sure i get to immortalized them :)

1. watched the amazing Cirque du Soleil's breath-taking performance of Varekai...the show which lasted for about 2 hours was just so captivating that i didn't want it to end (and ow, i was still rocking a shaved head at this time)



2. enjoyed Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite tour in Manila and i must say the wait was so worth it...it was by far, the best concert i've been into :) love live the goddess! (and did i mention that this show was just a day after Varekai?)



3. went to the Zoo for the first time...it was one of those things that i didn't get to do during my childhood and i was very happy to finally get to visit one and Washington DC's National Zoo for a first timer is totally not a bad one :)



4. cried more than 4 times while watching Wicked - the Musical on Broadway...it may not be Idina Menzel as the lead but Jackie Burns did Elphaba justice..i am still overplaying the soundtrack up until this time :)



5. conquered NYC for 6 days and it was still not enough but i get to cover the basics - Statue of Liberty, Grand Central, Empire State building tour, Central Park, Rockefeller, SoHo, the MET and Upper East Side and of course the Times Square :)



6. finally reunited with my chilhood bestfriend in San Francisco after not seeing each other for the last 6 years...4 days was not enough and she made me fell in love with San Francisco that leaving her and the city made me very emotional



...i should feel like i need to segue to telling you what i wanted for my birthday but i feel like it needs a new post (i'm becoming more and more materialistic LOL!)

inspiration

so raise your glass if you are
wrong in all the right ways!! :)

can't wait for weekend to come...i got so much plans i wish i can multiply myself...cheers for being very busy and for living a good life :)

and i am back :)

just trying to see if this iPhone app actually works...i can't remember the last time i posted something...a lot happened the past few months and i can't wait to backtrack, reminisce and share 'em with you...for starters, this pic is one of the highlights for September :)

i defied gravity and it was unforgettable :)

love for Adele

...i have been overplaying Adele's "21" album for the past 5 weeks now...i just can't get over it...she's the best singer there is right now and her talent is just unbelievable...she's proof that you don't need to be skinny and sell some skin to be successful...i love her to pieces and i can't wait for the chance to see her live

...as of now i'll just soak in the talent and beauty of Adele :) these are some my favorite songs from the new album which she performed live effortlessly...love, just pure love :)

vakasyon!

...i spent the weekend in CDO for a much needed vacation and got the chance to spend some time with my girlfriends...nothing much on the itinerary, just hanging out and catching up on things that happened for the past few months :)







...the only thing that can happen bad when you're having too much fun is a bad hangover the day after...but who cares when you are still able to take a ridiculously good looking photo? LOL!!!! feeling hehe :)



...now i'm back to Cebu's loving arms...and back to my reality

on contract signing

...i got on a rough start with Avida, two sales agents were fighting over the commission they will be getting from my purchase (one was the one i was sending an email to and one who i signed the contract with)...all i wanted was to pay and get my contract but no, they got me into this mess that made me think that maybe getting one is such a bad idea

... good thing it was fixed right away or else i will be having a BIG bitch fit...i am a very patient person, totally not confrontational but when you hit on my last nerve, you will see the monster alter ego and you won't like it...not at all LOL!

...i guess it's the season of buying investments...2 of my closest friends also made some purchases but they opted with getting units from Horizon 101...for the past 2 days, we've been doing a lot of contract signing and i just love it coz i feel like a movie star LOL!!!!



...can't wait for weekend to come...i'll get to spend some time with one of my supergirlfriends fresh from NYC :) hope you all get to enjoy your weekend :)

investment

...it will always come to a point where you'll start thinking about your future and sometimes it hits you in the most unexpected way (i got mine while downing a couple scoops of yogurt LOL!)...i got some money stashed into a savings account but the thought of investing into something bigger didn't come to mind until now

...just last week i finally took the first step of thinking about the future by getting my own condo unit which means i might have to slow down on my splurges (the ridiculously priced headphones, the Hugo Boss and Lacoste shirts, designer eyewear and then some)...got to make small sacrifices for it will all be worth it in the end :)

...this boy will be working so much harder....wish me luck :)

upcoming

...in the next couple of days, i will be flooding this blog with posts but it wouldn't be about me (for a change), instead it will be sort of like random photo posts taken using my new toy - the Canon G12...i still have to look for a kick-ass digital photo editor like an Adobe CS5 (though it's quite pricey) first so i can play with layers and textures :)

...but for now, please enjoy your early Sunday morning friends as much as i did :)



...i miss having a date with myself :)